New Landscape Makes a Yard Feel New Again

Sugar maple trees are the most common maple species found in New England and the mid-Atlantic states in America as well as several parts of Canada. The trees are tall and bushy with leaves that turn vibrant shades of yellow, orange, or red during the fall. Along with its beauty, the sugar maple is also the provider of delicious maple syrup. These qualities make a sugar maple a valuable addition to any yard.

Keep your sugar maple looking healthy year-round with maintenance and regular tree servicing. You also need to keep an eye out for any diseases that could cost your tree its looks – or its life.

Here are three tree diseases that can potentially affect your sugar maple tree.

Verticillium Wilt

Verticillium wilt is a fungus-borne disease that presents with a variety of symptoms, which makes it wise to call in a professional for a diagnosis if you even suspect wilt. The symptoms typically include the leaves turning brown or wilting early in the year and falling off the tree. Brown vascular coloring on the leaves can precede this wilting. Branches can also begin to die off in later stages of the disease.

Fungicide has no effect on the wilt disease. If caught early, you can stop the disease by having a tree trimming company prune away all of the affected leaves and branches. Wilt that has spread throughout the tree will keep killing off the branches and bark until the tree dies. Call in a tree removal company to completely remove the tree so that the disease can't spread to other trees in your yard.

Canker Disease

Canker disease strikes a wounded tree much like an infection can strike a person's open cut. The fungus that cause the disease takes hold in cut, broken, or otherwise damaged bark. A round canker sore will form in the bark with the interior turning dark brown or black and the edges turning redder. As the disease progresses, an ooze can start to come out of the sore. Eventually, the canker will start causing leaves and branches to fall off.

There's no way to stop canker once it has progressed to the later stages so it is important to monitor your tree for early signs. Hire a tree trimming service to regularly prune away any damaged areas of your tree to prevent canker from taking hold in the first place. Careful tree pruning of affected areas can also stop canker in its early stages.

Root Rot

Root rot is another type of sugar maple tree disease caused by fungi. The disease mostly targets the roots, which are often hidden from view, but aboveground symptoms can include early yellowing and wilting of leaves. If you suspect root rot or any other disease, call in a professional for an accurate diagnosis.

Some fungi that cause root rot can be successfully treated with fungicides while others will actually thrive on fungicides, so diagnosis is important. If your tree isn't treatable with fungicide, you may have to remove the tree entirely if there are other trees in your yard that could catch the root rot.

It can take years for root rot to kill the tree completely but dried up roots can eventually cause the tree to simply tip over. A falling maple could put your property and lives in danger.

For a professional tree service, contact a company such as E & R Landscaping & Trees.